Cambria (pronounced cam bree uh) is a cute little town, full of interesting shops, restaurants and its streets lined with beautiful gardens. It’s a fun place to go alone, but it’s also a convenient base for visiting Hearst Castle and the surrounding shoreline, from Morro Bay to Ragged Point.
Why should you go
Cambria is a good place for a romantic getaway if you like pensions. Across Highway One from downtown Cambria, you can find some near-oceanfront hotels at Moonstone Beach. The city center is perfect for a stroll hand in hand, as are the nearby beaches.
The best time to go
Like much of the California coastline, Cambria’s Moonstone Beach is likely to be cloudy all day in June and July, but the city is far enough offshore to be sunny, even when the beach is not. this. Of course, this means that it is also crowded in summer.
After the end of summer, the sky clears and hotel rates drop and stay low until spring.
The best things to do
Moonstone Beach is the best place in town for natural beauty – waves, surfers, tide pools, and driftwood-strewn sand. Just about anyone can get in easily, with a level boardwalk just above the beach and a smooth path to the edge of the sand. Get some supplies for the town picnic and enjoy them while watching the waves, or sit on the patio at Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill across the street and watch the sunset.
Don’t miss the Elephant Seals: The elephant seal colony off Highway One, about 4.5 miles north of Hearst Castle, is very interesting during the breeding season, from December to February, when almost 4,000 cubs are born in a few weeks .
If you like to shop, make downtown your first stop.
5 more great things to do
- Gallery Shopping – Stroll down Main Street and up Burton Drive, browse as you go. Don’t let appearances fool you: Main Street takes a little break at Cambria Drive, but it’s lined with shops on both sides of there.
- Learn to Bowling on the Lawn: Cambria Lawn Bowls Club (950 Main Street) offers free classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
- Visit a True Nitt Witt – Built by lone artist Art Beal, this folk art wonder called Nitt Witt Ridge is open for tours (book in advance).
- Visit Hearst Castle: Half an hour drive north of Morro Bay; Hearst Castle is the most popular attraction in the area. By the time you see the movie and take a tour, it will take you almost half a day.
- Piedras Blancas Lighthouse Tours – Located just 15 miles north of Cambria, you can tour this historic lighthouse, first lit in 1875 to guide sailors along the rocky California coastline. If you’re wondering where your light tower went, the Fresnel lens is on display in downtown Cambria.
Annual events
- October – During the annual Cambria Scarecrow Festival, more than 350 of the cutest and most creative scarecrows you can imagine line the streets of the city.
- Spring and fall is the time for evening visits to Hearst Castle. Hearst Castle comes to life at night. Warm lighting and 1930s teachers’ costumes – women drinking martinis over their card game, reporters writing their stories in their rooms, and lovers strolling the grounds – bring the massive house to life.
Tips for visiting
In summer, make your reservations as far in advance as possible. The best properties fill up fast.
No matter when you visit, the Cambria Village Trolley makes it easy to get around town.
If you need a bathroom, you will find public facilities on Burton Street, just off Main Street.
The best bites
Two of Cambria’s best long-standing restaurants are Sow’s Ear and Robin, but Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill has the best views in town. You can use your favorite app to find the best newcomers in town.
Where to stay
Most of the bed and breakfast inns are in town, but you will find small hotels along Moonstone Drive. While none of them are right on the beach, most are across the road, close enough that you can smell the spray and hear the waves crashing.
To find the perfect place to stay, read advice on where to stay, compare hotel prices, and take a look at local campgrounds.
Get there
Cambria is halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, on California Highway 1 between Morro Bay and Hearst Castle. It is 290 miles from Sacramento, 125 miles from Monterey, and 425 miles from Las Vegas.
If you take Amtrak to San Luis Obispo, you can take the Ride-On service that will take you directly to Cambria. But getting anywhere else in the area from there can be difficult.
